Just over a year ago, I wrote here that my primary target had been achieved and my HbA1c level was 37mmol/ml and therefore in the ‘normal’ range.
My annual blood check up results are now in and my HbA1c level has dropped further to 31mmol/ml. All of my other figures – including cholesterol – look pretty good to me too, although I’ll see what the doctor says in a week and a half when we next meet for a chat.
Compared to October 2021, I have lost 64lbs and dropped from a 38″ waist to a 30″ waist when buying trousers and no longer look at the XL racks for shirts.
This is all good news, and a perfect time to think about how to approach the coming year.
The first thing to say is that, although I have lost a lot of weight, I’m actually slightly heavier than I was in August last year, though only by a couple of kilos. This correlates with a drop off in exercise over winter. The solution is to pick up the exercise again, and I went for my first swim of the year this morning. I expected it to be tough after a layoff, but I was OK with it and look forward to getting back into the pool regularly. I reckon two visits a week with the time focused on putting in the lengths in alternating strokes will do wonders. I also need to pick up the running again. By late autumn last year I was happy turning in one or two 5ks a week with shorter jogs in-between, but I stopped over winter, partly because of the weather but also because I prefer to run in the evening, and the streets and pavements around here are treacherous if you can’t see where you’re going.
My plan is therefore to pick up on exercise – though sensibly as befits a 63-year-old.
Desired outcomes: (i) get back on the weight loss trail with a notional target of 78kg; (ii) 28″ waist trousers.
The second thing is to consider diet. I’ve pretty much maintained the diet I was on last year with no difficulties and the results speak for themselves. The main change is that I’m eating more bread – but it is almost exclusively homemade. The recipe I’m using now uses fresh yeast, which has been a revelation in terms of baking and flavour. I use about 18g of yeast per loaf and at most 1/4 teaspoon of honey and warm water to get it active. I can vary the flour to get a decent grain intake – yes there are carbs, but slow-release. The recipe uses flour, water, yeast, a little salt and olive oil. That’s it.
One of the things I found last year is that a lot of the recipes I found and adapted have been popular with the family too. That’s a good thing, but I’m conscious that I’ve trapped myself in a comfort zone. My second aim is therefore to keep on keeping on, but to expand the horizons a bit more. The basic principles remain the same though,
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- no free sugars
- low carb
- avoid industrial/processed foods
- eat smaller portions
- remember to enjoy eating and drinking – cake is fine, just not every day.
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